New Ulm weekly review., 1887-10-12

one OF my nieces for q violin lesson in
my house, .'if did not mind. Hur-
riedly had the piano rescued from
up stairs and carried into my little
front snuggery;; and just as it was put
into place by the awkward but willing
helpers we had caught q few moments
notice, my niece arrived, and with her
came a graceful, lady like girl, who Sc
Hooks attracted me greatly.
Ruth, this is Aunt Hannah" said
my niece "Y ou didn' t mind. did YOU,
Aunt Hannah? We thought you would
lot; and Ruth plays my accompani-
ments SO we'll. We always play to.
gether now
had been SO long away from the
old home that i had fallen out of the
kno owledge Of the young peoples
friends; but from Ruth's looks, was
glad she should be one Of them, who.
ever she might be.
The violin master came, and the
lesson gave me intense pleasure.
Ruth's accompaniment was perfect;
and as the violin was being carefully
wiped and restored to it's case, beg
ged her to s'play me omethlng-any
thing whatever she loved best-Men-
delssohn for choice if she would. !"
One after another she played my best
loved old friends, and ] turned inn
patiently when the footman opened
the door and said, a gentleman had
called for the young lady with Miss
Grey
"My uncle" said Ruth, apollo
getically.
Pray ask him to come in,n said,
and the next moment Mike stood
once more before me. He bowed q
little shyly, and I, with my back to
the window, stood spellbound and
silent.
Yes, it was Mike-huge, winsome
Mike-and ! must greet him as best I
might.
'Mr. VIVIAN" I fa,tered, OIL had
no idea it was you"
Two huge strides brought him to
my side.
Hannah heshouted; Miss Grey!
Why. / was sent to Mrs. Sinclair's g.!
Have cope to the wrong house?"
l liz young peOpic ueW W lll1u open
mouthed about this wonderful thing,
and chartered mercifully for me, till /
had recovered my balance a little.
From time to time felt his eye up-
on me, and grew a triAe hot and an
cry under it. Why should he look at
me in that way? He had been mar
ried for years, and I-well / had set
tied into my old maid ways-and /
had ''got over it, as the saying goes.
| AS if we ever lost "the marks ofthat
| which once had been.''
| AS they all trooped out together, he
turned back at the door, and grasping
my hand tightly said, .'why did YOU
say not at home, nine long wears
ago?"
II didn'tl'' I exclaimed. Indignantly,
IN stif1ed voice, ''you never came"
Didn't I?'' he answered, and then
he was gone.
That night slept not at all. Back
ward and forward that refrain rang in
my ears. Didn't I?'' Didn't I?''
Oh Mike, oh, iaithful-hearted Mike,
have I been wronging you all these
years? Did you come, did your
/ never knew it-and now it is too
late.
Does she love you, I wonder, as she
did-as LIDO? God help me, ] must
live it down and crush it under foot,
but for this one night will allow my
self the Joy of knowing that he did
come-he did come; the rest cannot
even guess at.
| Happy, miserable, restless, and yet
1 lcnntEo.7 T 40, mo Il ~
and found [ could settle down to
nothing in the way OF business The
piano stood where it had been placed
the day before for the girls, and after
many vain efforts to attend properly
to writing, which ought to have been
done, I wandered up to it, and sat me
down listlessly, trying to pick up the
thread OF all that child's sympathetic
fingers had done such full justice to;
and as | played my heart grew lighter,
and by degrees my M endelssohns modu-
lated off into lighter music, and
found myself beating time once more
with my foot to that Waldteuffel valse
which has been dearer to me than all
beside, How / plsyedl threw my
It; .s and as cams saos to the nal nSrs chord niG
suddenly flung my arms upon the
desk in front of me, and burst into
such q passion OF weeping as / had
never in all my life given way to. How
long I wept I do not know; but
/ know that then and there
] prayed with all my might
for strength to foot out, for good and
all, this cruel, absorbing, disgraceful
love, and rising with one last stran-
gled sob and firm determination
that not another should escape me
now or ever again. Isaw the door op-
en- quietly, and in one moment Mike
had hold Of both my hands. In vain
/ tried to pull them away. They were
gently but firmly gripped, and his dear
voice spoke rapidly in agitated loving
tones.
Don't speak, darling; know what
& f<,,, -